This place is destined to become a breakfast institution in Sonoma County, which is unfortunate, because that will probably mean lines like Hanks Creekside and Omelette Express. The good news, for now, is that this place seems to be flying under the radar.

Unlike the hotel that this joint resides in, it's bright and cheery inside and the food is a fresh take on the classics (where as the hotel itself is simply classic).

And they are doing those classics ridiculously well. We went on a Saturday morning and we're seated right away. Server was incredibly friendly and helpful, recommending her favorites and pouring coffee and bringing out our drinks almost instantly.



The menu could be considered short, but it encompasses all the best aspects of breakfast food (I'd go for quality over quantity... those 6 page menus always scare me). When the food showed up, I sunk my teeth into what was hands down the best chicken fried steak I've ever had. The veggie hash and scramble that my wife had was equally good with a mountain of scrambled eggs on top (see the pics if you need further proof).

I went to the Hillside Cafe back before Jeffrey took over. It was OK. Nothing special though. Now... The new Hillside Cafe... I can't really think of anything negative to say. But I'll be sure to follow up this review with another couple visits just to make sure it wasn't a fluke (and because I've been craving that chicken fried steak ever since).

It's so nice being able to blow by The Tides and Lucas Wharf, knowing that good food awaits you just around the bend.

On a sleepy Sunday, my wife, dog and I took a drive up the coast. Before we left, a quick Yelp search on the iPhone turned up the the Terrapin Cafe. After missing the turn off for the cafe from the main highway twice, I finally found this hidden treasure tucked away next to a few art galleries and a bait shop.

Having a small dog with you and eating out isn't always the easiest thing, but I opened the front door and was greeted by the friendly owners and a quaint warm interior. It was a beautiful day and we sat outside on the weathered patio. The service was spot on, with my coffee never getting below the 1/3 mark (and it was good Taylor Maid coffee as well).


The food was a refreshing detour from the typical "Coastal chow" of clam chowder and fried fish. We shared the crab cake salad and seafood stew, along with some bread and good olive oil. The crab cakes were all crab, no filler and the salad was light and fresh tasting and not overdressed. Our seafood stew was filled with salmon and shellfish and a broth flavored with garlic, fennel and braised tomatoes. We used every last piece of bread to clean that bowl. This is what "Coastal chow" should taste like.

For dessert, we settled on the carrot cake. It was light, yet had a crispy texture to the top. The cream cheese was almost like a whipped cream cheese and was airy and fluffy and not over powering.


The owners were incredibly attentive, even bringing water for our dog. And even though we were there late for lunch, they didn't rush us out (they close at 2:30pm, we didn't finish until about 3pm). I'd almost considering making the hour drive out to the coast if for nothing else, to try dinner here. The menu might be small, but the fresh, quality ingredients are expertly prepared and the warm, friendly setting make this a place worth visiting. I'll definitely be back.

For one reason or another I've waited over a month to write this review. Maybe it's taken me that long to find the words that appropriately define the amazing experience there. Maybe it's taken me that long to remember the copious amount of food that I ate. Maybe it's because I'm afraid that whatever the hell I write here won't do this place justice. And trust me, it won't.

After a week long cruise to Alaska, stuffing myself with mediocre cruise food and watery drinks I was looking forward to spending my last night in Seattle at Crush. Having spent hours reading reviews on various Seattle restaurants, we decided on Crush (it was also one of the few restaurants open on Sunday, July 5th).

We arrived at what appeared to be an unassuming house. Upon entering, we were wowed by the minimalistic white interior and a beautiful bar that overlooks an open kitchen. It was a beautiful Seattle night, so we opted to sit outside on their patio. After perusing the menu, we opted to put ourselves in the capable hands of the kitchen staff. They had a 4 course tasting menu that we went for. And since I'm not a sweet person, I was able to sub my dessert for another savory dish (the servers were great all night).

We both started with a signature cocktail. I had a cucumber vodka concoction and the missus had a strawberry brandy something or other (it's been almost a month so I don't remember the drink details). Both were refreshing and there was an element of finesse to them.

A small bowl of "bread" started the food avalanche. It was actually more like an amuse bouche of cheese puff pastry. Incredibly light and tasty. Then a spoonful of tartare topped with caviar and foam was brought out. At this point, I knew that if this continued we were in for a good night.

What followed was plate after plate of O face inducing food-

1st courses- Japanese Hamachi Crudo Spiced Asian Pear- fresh, clean tasting fish, Ginger & Carrot; Asparagus Soup with Jumbo Crab- very nice soup with a pile of beautiful crab.

2nd courses- Maine Lobster Gnocchi Lobster Coral Butter, Tahitian Vanilla & Tangerine- buttery, soft pillows of potatoes, the flavor combination's for the sauce was also interesting; Grilled Calamari on a Bed of Chorizo and Onion- amazing! Sous vide calamari that was quickly seared. Incredibly tender. And the spicy chorizo and onions was the perfect condiment. The herbaceous green sauce that everything was sitting on rounded out the dish.

3rd courses- Handcut Tagliatelle Pasta & Caviar Sauce Sea Urchin Roe & Quail Egg- one of my favorite dishes that night. Sea urchin, a runny quail egg and caviar... seriously?! I'm so glad I replaced dessert with this dish. Amazing ocean flavor from the sea urchin, then a textural pop from the caviar and that silky yoke from the egg. This might be the perfect pasta dish. Very inspiring.; Sea Scallop on Caramelized Onion Risotto- nicely seared scallop, although slightly to brown on top and a little overcooked. Risotto was nice.

4th course- Glazed Painted Hills Short Rib Potato Gratin, White Corn Grits & Truffle Pistou- I had to continually whack my wife's fork away from my plate... like a pesky fly, she couldn't get enough of these short ribs and rightfully so. Fork tender, sous vide for 24 hours and painted with a dark, rich glaze and dotted with truffle oil... Simple, yet perfect. ; Wild Sockeye with English Peas- nicely cooked and I loved that they kept the skin on. A very light dish in contrast to the short ribs. And it's like a movie opening the same weekend as Titanic... it was hard to pay attention to the fish with those short ribs sitting next to them.

Dessert- Strawberry Tiramasu (I think... I was in a certifiable food coma at this point). I remember the bite I had being pretty good... for a dessert.

The night ended on a perfect note with us sitting inside at the bar, sipping another amazing cocktail, from the incredibly friendly and knowledgeable bartender, and watching the chefs diligently performing their craft. I wish we had another day in Seattle, if for nothing else, to simply eat here again.

That dinner at Crush embodies everything that a good dining experience should be. Perfect, friendly service that is neither pretentious or pushy. Beautiful ambiance in a setting that closely mimics the food. And a kitchen staff that knows how to deliver course after course of memorable, simple, yet delicious food. Having lived in "Wine Country" my whole life, I've ate at some impressive restaurants , but the culmination of the food, service and setting at Crush eclipse them all. One of the best meals of my life.

And knowing that I can hop on a Horizon flight out of Santa Rosa and be sitting on that beautiful patio in a matter of 90 minutes... An awfully tempting proposition. And a trip well worth it. Check out the video below for some pics.

I'm a sucker for French food and locally, few other places do it as well (sorry La Gare... not even close). This is my third trip back to Bistro 29 since they opened and each trip has been progressively better than the last with an expanding crepe menu and impressive wine list. We showed up on a Friday night with 7:30 reservations (and despite the fact that they apparently didn't have our reservations written down, we were seated within minutes). Armed with a few bottles of wine (2004 Enkindu Fazekas Petite Syrah, $32) and some friends, I was prepared to dive head long into a night of marathon eating and over the top indulgence.

I started with the foie gras, served on top of french toast with some pain d'epice. The flavor was good, the foie cooked nicely and the sauce was sweet. Unfortunately, the toast was soggy by the time it got to the table so there was no contrast in texture. Every bite was filled with fatty, creamy smoothness. I could have used a little crunch to counter that. Overall though, a good start to the night ($14, *** out of *****).

In between bites of the artery clogging foie, I shared a savory crepe filled with a homemade pork sausage, gooey Gruyere and apples. Maybe this is the French's way of combating pizza. Or maybe the chef sprinkled some crack in there. Either way, all I wanted to do was curl up inside of this cheesy, pork filled blanket and roll around in its goodness. ($10, *****) I forgot how incredible these were.

In between day dreaming of a crepe hammock for the backyard, I sampled my wife's escargot, which was bathing in a herb butter bath (my kind of soaking tub). Perfectly flavored, not to chewy and it was served with toast to soak up the green, buttery goodness that was left in the bowl after the snails food their way into eager mouths. My only problem was that there weren't enough snails and that a dish like this should be served with a spork- that way you can get a mouth full of the herbaceous compound with each bite. And plus, every time I grabbed my spoon to slurp up the sage colored liquid I kept getting dirty looks from our neighbors (maybe they were doctors concerned for my health...). ($10,****).

The first bottle of wine was on its last leg, so we popped open a Limerick Lane Syrah just in the nick of time, as our mains started showing up. A heaping bowl of mussels was placed in front of me, along with a cone of frites on the side. For me, eating the actual mussels is only half the fun. Mopping up the shellfish elixir at the bottom of the bowl with french bread is the other half of the equation. The mussels were just as I remembered them- plump, tasty and occasionally grainy. The frites on the other hand were limp and almost soggy. I'm a double fry kind of guy when it comes to my frites, so I was slightly unimpressed by this offering. The saving grace was the half a loaf of french bread on the table, waiting to be submerged in my pond of Pernod cream sauce. ($14, ***1/2)

Although I didn't order it, I still was able to try a few bites: Lamb Sirloin with mashed potatoes and English peas. Excellent flavor and the sauce was amazing. The lamb was cooked perfectly and my only criticism was the chef might have been a little heavy handed with the salt. Otherwise, a killer entree. ($24, ****)

For dessert, a crepe with apples and whipped cream, a trio of ice cream and a trio of sorbet. Now considering I don't make desserts, rarely eat desserts and on a whole, don't like sweets, I'll refrain from passing any judgment on these. That being said... the dessert crepe was fantastic.

Aside from loosing our reservation and our table having to beg for french bread 20 minutes after being seated (after the first loaf showed up, they kept bringing us bread non-stop), the night was a success and the four of us left equally stuffed and satisfied. I've yet to try RendezVous Bistro (the yelp reviews scare me), but as far as I'm concerned, for French dining in Santa Rosa, Bistro 29 is the place to beat. Now if only they could master the frites the way they perfected the crepes...

"So how long have you guys been open?" I asked Heather Van Doom, owner of Starlight Wine Bar. "Oh, about three and a half years." she replied. I was surprised that this little gem has been hiding here so long and I had no idea. And when I say hiding, I really mean hiding. The restaurant is located in a train car, located in a building, located in the Gravenstein shopping center near Coffee Catz. My first attempted at finding this eatery had me walk right by without noticing.

The good news is, once inside, ambiance, nostalgia and great cooking take over. This is the kind of place where you'd picture people sipping martinis, cigarette smoke clouding the air and Sinatra buzzing away softly out of a jukebox. Unfortunately, they lack a liquor license, smoking has been banned in California restaurants for quite sometime and I didn't see a jukebox (but there was some good music playing).

The best way to describe the menu would be seasonal, Californian paired with a little New Orleans flair. They also offer an early bird special which consists of an app, entree and dessert for only $25. My wife went this route, while I started with the mussels and then moved onto the gumbo.

The savory, corn beignes were the first to show up. We each grabbed one of these hot, corned filled little donuts and gave them a red aioli bath. They were perfectly crisp on the outside and once you bit into one, the corn filling provided a nice, unexpected contrast (**** out of *****). As we each polished off the first beignes the mussels arrived, soaking in a pool of spicy, red broth. The mussels were nice and plump, not over cooked and the sauce had a kick to it (some tomatoes, red pepper coulis, maybe a bit of saffron and garlic), perfect for submerging bread in ($15, **** out of *****).

The next two dishes were a showcase for chef Thaddeus Palmese and his New Orleans roots- BBQ Shrimp and Gumbo. The beautifully butterflied, tail on shrimp were swimming in a buttery, Worcestershire sauce. The only problem I had was I couldn't get the tails off fast enough. (****). Knowing the chef had done time in some big name restaurants (Emril's Delmonico being one of them) I had faith the gumbo would not be a let down. I was right. The roux was a nice, dark brown and the dish as a whole warmed you from head to toe the way a good scotch does. Shrimp, chicken and andouille sausage filled out the dish, along with white rice on top. If I wasn't so damn full at this point I would have ordered another bowl of this okra-file-roux masterpiece. (*****).

My wifes dessert course was next. When we ordered, we were told that it was a peach cobbler with a cream cheese ice cream. What showed up instead was another classic. One which I wouldn't have traded for anything peach related. Bananas Foster. For the record, I don't like desserts or sweets, but this was one of the best sugar laden things I've eaten in recent memory (****). Cinamon, bananas, sugar, banana liqour and ice cream all melted together in a neat bowl... a diabetic nightmare? Maybe. A perfect way to end a great dining experience? Hell yes.

So if you're like me and you haven't heard about this hidden culinary treasure, get out your gps immediately and set a course for Starlight Wine Bar.

A Saturday afternoon filled with crispy, delicious pizza and cold beer- sounds like Nirvana right? Well it's pretty damn close. I met a friend of mine at the Russian River Brewery in downtown Santa Rosa. The warm wood interior and simple menu of pizza and beer makes me feel right at home. Sadly, the less than stellar service left me with flash backs of the opening scene in Reservoir Dogs where Steve Buschemi discusses the right to "not tip"... but more on that later.

I got there a few minutes before my friend, so I sat down at the bar with the intention of indulging in a pre-noon pint. Never a bad idea in my opinion, especially when the pint is called Pliny the Elder and is 8% ABV. The long wooden bar spans the length of the restaurant, but at 11am on a Saturday it is rather vacant. After waiting for 5 minutes at the bar while the bar wench or BW (the name of which I will refer to our bartender/ waitress), chatted up a few regulars. No problem, it's Saturday and I'm relatively patient... Maybe her "parched patron radar" kicked in as she finally meandered my way. I ordered my Pliny and waited.

The BW delivered the Pliny 5 minutes later as my friend Pete took up residence on the bar stool next to me. "Let the eating begin" he declared. Having recently ate a Maui Wowie pizza (ham, pineapple, bacon and tomatoes) I decide to clone that and see who reigns supreme when it comes to fruity pizza.

Fifteen minutes later a master piece emerges from the kitchen. BW sets the bubbling, salty sweet pizza in front of us with the parting words "that looks pretty good". Literally parting words... That was the last thing she said to us that day.

I dig into the pizza (burning the roof of my mouth do to lack of patience) and yes, hot damn, was it good. The crust was perfect and crunchy and the pizza had just the right amount of toppings on there so it wasn't weighed down and yet still had substance. Cheers to the guys in the kitchen.

After finishing the Wowie (aptly named I might add) and another Pliny it was time for my productive Saturday to begin. I could have sat in that bar stool all day, but responsibility (and my wife) were calling. The only problem was... we couldn't get the bill.

BW was down at the other end of the bar, chatting again as our empty plates and pints sat on the counter signaling the end of our eating excursion. Once again, we waited. Finally it appeared that she remembered that we were sitting at the opposite side of the bar. She turned, got half way down the bar and then answered her yellow Blackberry... WTF. It was like watching sand fall through an hour glass. Oh wait, no... that was her tip disappearing, not sand.

Since when is chatting on your cell phone considered work and worthy of a tip (back me up Steve Buschemi). If I pulled out my cellphone in the middle of a meeting I'd get punched in the eye by my boss.

Now it would be one thing if BW looked miserable on the phone- say, she just found out her father died or that rash on her face was something other than an acne breakout. Then I would understand. But she was enjoying her chat while I sat there and watch my day waste away, wondering if she would notice or care, that we just walked out (and for the record- I've never ditched a bill). Suddenly, like Mr. Epiphany slapped her on the ass she prints out our bill, drops it off and without a word to us, goes back to her cellphone. Wowie... We pay and leave.

I've been to the Russian River Brewery in Santa Rosa countless time and for the most part I've encountered consistently good pizza and beer. The dilema I run into is to is the dodgy service. This was not an isolated incident, sadly enough. I've been in there when it's virtually empty and I'll wait and hour for the pizza to come out. Other times it's fifteen minutes. Most of the time, when you sit down you need to prepare to kill at least an hour and a half. Is it worth the wait. If you like thin, crispy pizza and a strong brew... maybe. If you like somewhat reasonable service and a BW who actually acknowledges you are alive... I'd stay away. There is an attitude there of "stop wasting my time, I've got better things to do... like talk on my phone.".

You can find better service from a New Yorker with an attitude at NY Pie or someplace similar. It's a shame that the people could ruin such good food. Too bad they don't deliver...